Another Tibetan monk sets himself on fire in China

BEIJING 
A Tibetan monk set himself on fire in western China and was beaten by security forces as they put out the flames, a rights group said, marking the latest in a series of dramatic protests against China's handling of its vast Tibetan areas.

Responding to spiraling unrest in Tibetan areas, Premier Wen Jiabao on Tuesday defended China's policies on Tibet, saying the government respects traditional culture and freedom of religious belief. He said China has invested heavily in Tibet and will continue to do so.

He also said attempts to undermine stability by inciting monks was counter to the interests of Tibetans.

Activist groups say the self-immolations are a protest against China's policies and a call for the return of the Dalai Lama, the Tibetans' exiled spiritual leader.

The Chinese government has condemned the self-immolations and says an upsurge in violence in Tibetan areas, including some deadly clashes between Tibetan protesters and security forces, are being instigated by forces outside the country wanting to separate Tibet from China.

"Any attempt to incite a small number of monks to take radical moves to undermine stability in the Tibet Autonomous Region is not in the interest of development in Tibet or the interests of the people living in Tibet," Wen told reporters at a joint press conference with visiting leaders from the European Union. "Such attempts can have no popular support."

While Wen focused his comments on Tibet, much of the recent unrest has occurred in adjoining provinces with large Tibetan populations, particularly Sichuan.

In Sichuan's Aba prefecture on Monday afternoon, Lobsang Gyatso, a 19-year-old monk from the Kirti monastery set himself ablaze on the main street, the London-based International Campaign for Tibet said.

Security forces beat Gyatso while extinguishing the flames, then took him away, the group said in an online statement posted late Monday. It was not immediately clear whether he survived.

Two Tibetans who tried to help Gyatso were severely beaten by police, ICT's statement said.

The official Xinhua News Agency on Tuesday also reported the immolation, identifying the monk as 18-year-old Losang Gyatso. It said "police rushed to put out the fire and sent him to a local hospital," citing a spokesman for the county government whose name was not provided. It gave no information about his condition.

Aba prefecture has been the scene of numerous protests over the past several years against the Chinese government. Most are led by monks who are fiercely loyal to Tibet's exiled Buddhist leader, the Dalai Lama, who fled the Himalayan region in 1959 amid an abortive uprising against Chinese rule and is reviled by Beijing.

According to ICT, 20 Tibetan monks, nuns and laypeople have set themselves on fire in China over the past year, with at least 13 dying from their injuries. The self-immolations have occurred with increasing frequency in recent weeks, and most have taken place in Sichuan's remote and mountainous Tibetan areas.

An official with the local Communist Party's propaganda department in Aba said he was unaware of the latest case. He referred media to China's official Xinhua News Agency or the Foreign Ministry for reports about self-immolations, saying that only they were authorized to release such news.